Vegas - There is Nothing Like the People You Will Meet

No matter where you go you inevitably meet people. Las Vegas is no different. How people are in Las Vegas is unique.

I'm sure many of the people you meet in Las Vegas are normal when they are at home but, since they are on vacation is Las Vegas they relax and act like the person they sometimes want to be. They probably have a few more drinks on vacation. They let their hair down on vacation and Vegas is all about vacation.

We talked to a couple of dudes from Finland in Coyote Ugly, they were there to relax and have a good time. One looked like Kirk Hammett's long lost brother.

We danced with girls from Brazil in Body English. They seemed rather impressed we took the time and put in the effort to wear suits out for the night.

We posed for a picture with a group of women from Calgary that were in town for a wedding the next day. They had all gone to see the Chippendale's and appeared to have enjoyed a few more drinks than they normally do. The were kind enough to point out that we were not like the Chippendale dancers, but we were still cool anyway. They were cool as well, but would never do that back home.

There are also the people who live and work in Vegas. Some of them are just as unique.

There was Al the bus driver. Al drives The Deuce up and down the strip for a living. He likes to talk on the bus PA system. He talked about the wives he had. He told us about the peanut pecan cheese cake waiting for him when he was done his shift. When he was asked how late the bus ran he replied, "In the words of the brother Lionel Richie, All Night Long!" He greatly added to the bus riding experience.

There was also our waitress in Hooters one night. She had a rather sharp tongue and quick wit. She told us about her bookie back in Florida and how it was so inconvenient to bet on a football game in Las Vegas.

There were others that we encountered throughout the trip and only served to enrich the experience. If you are ever in Fabulous Las Vegas watch the people and enjoy the interactions, they are a big part of the trip.

Vegas - Everything is Huge

Las Vegas is built on a different scale. It is big. However, since everything is so big, it looks normal, until you start to move about. At that point you realize it is really, really big.

We stayed at the Hooters Casino Hotel in Las Vegas. This is a hotel with nearly 700 guest rooms. This hotel appeared to be really small. It was dwarfed by the massive MGM Grand, which is dwarfed by the incredibly massive Mandalay Bay.

If size matters then Las Vegas wins.

All these places are big. The casino floor just keeps going and going. The attractions are all encompassing. The buildings are tall. Everything is built to be an impressive size. Yes much of it is over the top. Yes much of it is cheesy, but that is what you look for in Las Vegas. If you like big you will like this city.

Even more amazing is they are still building more. There are partially built structures. There are new sites just being set up. As far as I can tell, Vegas is big but is going to get even bigger.

Vegas - Everything is a Hustle

It's no surprise that Las Vegas exists to separate a man from his money. It is amazing how well they do it. If you are naive do not go to Las Vegas. You will be fleeced for everything you have.

Everyone there is trying to hustle you.

The cab drivers are always trying to take you somewhere. They will definitely take you to a strip club, especially since the strip club will pay the fare. Once there, I'm sure the dancers will hustle you for very expensive very short lap dances, while you drink expensive drinks and have payed an outrageous cover.

There are guys on the street trying to pass you cards advertising hookers. They are everywhere. you cannot get away from them. They are snapping the cards and trying to get you to take them in hopes you give the girls a call.

There are people in the hotels giving you passes to the clubs in the hotels.

There are people in the hotels and on the street trying to sell you passes to clubs all over the city. It's a hustle that's just the way it is.

There are guys with limos looking to take you places. They have the best lines. "You don't want to go down there, its only homeless people with guns and they know you have money." or "What are you guys looking to do tonight? Club, Strip Club, Party Favours?"

If nothing else it can be entertaining.

One night we had been at one place for a while and it was about 11pm. We were looking for something else to do for the next part of the night. As we walked through the MGM Grand a dude and a woman started to try and hustle us on some passes to PURE nightclub in Caesar's Palace. It was obvious it was a hustle however in the middle of her pitch the woman stopped and says to my good friend Kent, "You have the most beautiful blue eyes." So we bought the passes and headed down to Caesar's. Sure enough as we were walking in a guy handed us passes that would get us exactly the same thing for free, but I had no buyer's remorse since she commented on Kent's eyes. (I tease him regularly about them.)

The flip side to the hustle is you can often bargain with them. We managed to swing a deal with a guy on some passes to Body English in the Hard Rock and did save 66% of the cover charge.

You can try to ignore the hustle, but it is in your face constantly. Maybe the offers we had was because we were three fairly young, presentable guys walking about, but in the end, in Vegas, everything is a hustle.

I Survived Vegas Baby!

I returned from fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. I saw a lot. I did a lot. There is a lot more than I can fit into one blog entry so I will be talking about several aspects of Vegas over the next few days. A few of the points that I will cover include:

Everything in Vegas is a hustle.

Everything in Vegas is huge.

Getting around Vegas is an adventure.

There is nothing like the people you meet in Vegas

There may be a few surprises along the way as well.

So tune in regularly to hear about my adventures, since there will be some great observations and opinions.

Vegas Baby

Tonight at 10:01 pm the wheels will be touching down on my flight to fabulous Las Vegas. Quite a bit of preparation has gone into this trip. The research is done, the resources are booked, and I am ready.

I am rather excited.

If this place lives up to the hype that everyone is giving it I am going to have a super-duper good time. I sure hope it does. I need to live in a fantasy world for a few days. I need to remember why I work hard. I need to take some cool pictures of cool stuff. I need to make some new memories.

I was once told that Las Vegas is the best and worst of America all in one place. I want to see that. I want to people watch. I want to party. I want to ride Vegas style amusements. I want to see what this over the top city has to offer.

I really don't know what this trip will bring. I am open to whatever pops up. We only have a rough plan and will enjoy the rest the way it was meant to be. I hope to come home exhausted with a couple of loonies in my pocket, with a camera full of cool pictures and a head full of memories.